You may not be a qualified mechanic but you know a lot more than the average driver. You’re the type of person who loves learning about the ins and outs of cars and you love nothing more than spending the whole day updating your own vehicle. Being a car lover comes in handy when something goes wrong with your vehicle. You can fix any major problems using your automotive hand tools, which saves you both time and money taking your car into the mechanics.
Having an extensive toolbox is, therefore, important for every car lover. You want to ensure that you have the right tools and equipment for every potential problem that could appear in your car. So, what are some of these important tools? Here are seven tools that you need to keep in your toolbox as a car lover to ensure you can tackle any potential problems with your vehicle.
Torque Wrench
A torque wrench is a must-have for every car enthusiast. It is essential to tighten up the nuts and bolts around your vehicle. Every manufacturer has specifications for setting nuts and it’s important to comply with them. They come in a range of different sizes and types, so you might need to get a couple of different options. You may need to spend a fortune buying the most expensive options. A cheap and cheerful toques wrench will do most jobs. For example, if you’re just using your torque wrench to rotate your car’s tires, you might only need a basic long wrench. But if you want a more accurate and precise tool, you’re better going for a clicker-type torque, which may be a little more expensive.
Dead Blow Mallet
Despite not sounding the friendliest, a dead blow mallet is perfect for loosening just about anything that’s stuck. Whether it’s tight nuts and screws or a piece of metal that won’t move, your dead blow mallet will get the job done without ruining your car’s paintwork. It absorbs the shock of each blow when the hammer strikes, which prevents damage to the softer surfaces of your vehicle.
Swivel Head Torch
Every car enthusiast needs to have a swivel head torch. If you’re fixing something beneath your car or under the hood, your torch will enable you to see exactly what you’re doing. As the name suggests, the swivel head torch has a moveable head that can quickly be adjusted when you need to view a different area of your vehicle. Find a torch that has extra power compared to traditional torches so that you don’t need to worry about your torch running out of battery power when you’re in the middle of an important job.
Impact Screwdriver
You may already have a basic screwdriver but impact screwdrivers can take things to the next level. Impact screwdrivers are the kind of tools that you’d find in a mechanic’s garage. They are extra strong and enable a downward rotational force that gives you the ability to perform more complex tasks. This tool enables you to tighten tough screws with a much higher torque as well as reversing screws that are too tight. If your normal screwdriver can’t get a job done, your impact screwdriver most likely can.
Pliers
Pliers are a staple for any toolbox and they come in handy for a huge range of automobile jobs. They come in a range of shapes and sizes, and they help to strengthen your grip on a particular part of your car. You might use your pliers to twist some tough metal wires or grip onto piping under your car’s hood. They’re an affordable tool that is extremely helpful to have.
Racket Extender
When you’re working on an area of your car that is difficult to get to with your ratchet, a racket extender is going to be a life-saver. Your Rachel extender will enable you to access areas of your engine that are otherwise impossible to reach. You’ll be able to tighten or loosen any nut and bolt in your vehicle, no matter where it is.
WD-40
If there’s one thing any car owner needs, it’s WD-40. It may not be a large metal tool, but a tube of WD-40 will come in handy for a large range of different things. Cars have lots of moving parts that can easily get rusty or stiff. Whether you’ve got rusty car parts, tough nuts and bolts, or squeaky brakes, you can use your WD-40 to solve the problem.
